


more than you know

by hbalbat



Category: Captain America (Movies), Captain America - All Media Types, Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Bucky Barnes Needs a Hug, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, F/M, Fluff, Post-Avengers: Endgame (Movie), Sad with a Happy Ending
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-17
Updated: 2020-08-17
Packaged: 2021-03-06 04:07:22
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,372
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25963339
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hbalbat/pseuds/hbalbat
Summary: After Steve promised he’d be with Bucky ‘till the end of the line, he leaves after the events of Endgame to live out a new life with Peggy. You, having known Bucky for the past few years and becoming extremely close with him, especially during the time in the soul stone, make him a promise.
Relationships: James "Bucky" Barnes & Reader, James "Bucky" Barnes/Reader
Comments: 2
Kudos: 38





	more than you know

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first piece of writing like ever, so I’m very new to this whole thing. The ideas for this story kind of just popped into my head after re-watching Endgame the other night, so I figured I’d write some ideas down and try to develop something. I’m sorry if there are any errors that I missed, I typed this whole thing up in my notes on my phone and transferred it to my computer by retyping it all so I most likely missed some things, even with editing! I honestly don’t consider myself much of a writer (I only write for school really), I just tried to write something that I know I’d enjoy reading myself! ❤️ 
> 
> Also, this relatively short follows the events of Endgame (I know, I was upset too, but don’t worry, it has a sweet ending). The scene is set at the lake (like in the movie, but it leads to the Avengers Compound instead)ー it also references a few direct lines from the movie (like the fact that Bucky said he’d miss Steve but he never said it back 🥺). Another important note (I know it’s super long, I’m so sorry!!) is that I personally feel like Bucky would have (realistically) wanted to cry in Endgame because of Steve but he never did, so in my version, we are NOT afraid of using hurt/comfort!!

“I’ve got this, Bruce, I promise.” You overhear Bruce explaining the situation to Steve, the one chosen to return the stones to their proper times and locations. You and Bucky are standing with Sam, watching over them to make sure everything happens according to plan. Sam and Bruce had already wished Steve luck, only you and Bucky had to say your piece now.

“Go on, Bucky. I know you want to talk to him,” you suggest. He smiles at you and nods, and although he’s trying to keep it hidden, you know deep down he’s terrified. He’s terrified that something will go wrong, that Steve will get stuck in a different time, or even something worse. You stay with Sam as Bucky talks to Steve, pleased that he is getting the chance to say anything that he wants and needs to tell Steve before he goes. Shortly, Bucky and Steve come over to you and Sam. 

“Good luck, Steve,” you say, hoping to reassure him. “Everything will be just fine.” He nods, his expression looking determined. Steve takes the case and steps onto the platform. You turn to Sam and Bucky nervously as Steve’s helmet flips over his head. Everyone takes a deep breath, nearly in sync.

“Alright, going quantum in 3, 2, 1…” Bruce says as he pushes the button to send Steve back in time. You grab Bucky’s hand without thinking and squeeze it tight, hoping everything goes correctly. Although it was only moments before Bruce needed to pull the lever to bring Steve back, your stress got the better of you.

“And returning in 5, 4, 3, 2, 1…” Bruce flips the switch. The four of you stand there, expecting Steve to appear. But moments pass, and nothing happens. “Where the hell is he?!” you shout, panicking about everything that could’ve gone wrong. Sam and Bruce’s arguments overlap each other as you look at Bucky, who hasn’t said anything despite the worrying event. 

Bucky’s lips curl into a sad smile, hands sliding into his pockets. He starts to walk around the platform. His brows were furrowed in a particular way, something he only did when he was disappointed. Not wanting to leave him alone at a time like this, you run over to Bucky. You interlace your small yet strong fingers in his, holding tightly. Grabbing his forearm with your free hand, you turn to face him.

“Are you okay, baby?” you ask. Bucky doesn’t respond. Instead, you see him squinting his eyes and looking over by the lake. “What is it Buckー” you follow his stare to see Steve looking out over the water, but not the Steve you knew. This one was older, how you would picture him to be considering his actual age. 

Your jaw drops, astonished. Why did Steve skip his time stamp? You figure he most likely stayed to live a new life with Peggy; he always wanted that. 

Whatever it was, it didn’t matter. Steve left the person that mattered to you the most when he needed someone. Your thoughts began to spiral, thinking about Bucky’s reaction, what happened to the Steve you recognized, how this would affect your current team and world.

“Sam,” Bucky calls, bringing you back to reality. You lift your hand, motioning him over, not changing your line of sight. Sam walks to join you both and follows your gaze to see Steve on the bench. Sam lifts an eyebrow, hardly believing what he sees. 

“Should I…” Sam asks as he nods his head in the direction of the lake. Bucky takes a step back and lifts his forearm, indicating that Sam should go for it. You nod as well, so Sam goes over to talk to him. You look over to Bucky, preparing to ask him if something happened. Why wouldn’t he want to at least talk with Steve? After some consideration, you decide you’ll wait until later. Now probably isn’t the best time.

As you and Bucky wait for Sam to come back, you head over to another bench. Bucky seems disconnected, and you’re worried, but you don’t want to keep prodding him. He watches Steve and Sam intently, following their every action. You look out to see Steve pull an unbroken shield from his bag, different than the one from yesterday’s battle. He hands it to Sam, and as you turn to Buck, you notice his eyes widen.

When Sam comes back over to you and Bucky, he’s holding the shield. “Damn, this is crazy,” you hear Sam whisper under his breath. You look over at Bucky and see him staring at the shield. 

“Congratulations, Sam. You deserve it,” you say with a small smile. Bucky seems to shake his head slightly, becoming aware of the conversation. He quickly pats Sam on the back and congratulates him as well. You notice Bucky’s strange behavior and try to help him out a little. 

“How about you go practice using the shield with Steve, Sam? If you’re going to be the new Captain America, you better know how to use it!” you suggest with a slight laugh. “You sure?” Sam questions, and both you and Bucky nod, maybe a little too eagerly. “Well, okay then. Thank you again, guys,” Sam says as he turns to go meet with Steve again.

Bucky follows Sam with his gaze as he walks away. He keeps his eyes focused on Sam and Steve by the lake, not saying a word. You turn your head to see a sort of resentment in his eyes. Not quite jealousy, but whatever Bucky was feeling, you knew it was hurting him on the inside. 

His eyes begin to water a little, but he looks reluctant to let any tears out. He quickly wipes anything off his eyes and flushed cheeks, hoping they’d stop coming. Seeing Bucky like this made you feel terrible, guilty even. A feeling of needing to protect and comfort Bucky ignited in you. “Come with me, baby,” you say to Bucky. “Let’s get out of here.”

With you leading the way, you take Bucky into the Avengers Compound. Sitting down on the couch in the main room, you take him by the hands, squeezing tightly. You gaze into his bright blue eyes. Bucky works his jaw in the silence, clearly hung up on something, most likely to do with his last conversation with Steve. 

“Buck, what happened with Steve? I know he left us, but did he say something to you before he left? I hate to see you this upset, Bucky,” you question, biting back your tears. You were trying not to get worked up in hopes of keeping him from stressing out more. 

“It was nothing, sweetie,” he responds, remaining stoic in his expression. He sniffles quietly but doesn’t say anything. The look in his eyes and the silence speaks for itself. You look right past his facade and command the truth. “Bucky, I may not have known you for _nearly_ as long as Steve has, but I _have_ known you long enough to know that’s not true.”

He sniffles once again and takes a deep breath as he looks at you through the beginnings of watery eyes. “He, heー” Bucky starts. Even though tears are flowing now through his steel-blue eyes, you let him speak. He doesn’t deserve to keep his emotions bottled up any longer than he needs to. In some sad way, the tears made his eyes look even more beautiful.

“He didn’t say it back.” You stare at him, slightly confused. “What?” “I told Steve I’d miss him. He, he didn’t say it back to me.”

Bucky starts crying harder now. You reach out to him and wrap him into your arms, tucking his head under your chin. You rubbed one hand in circles on his back as his body shook from his sobs, keeping the other in a firm grip around his waist. “Iー I’m sorry,” Bucky begins through quick short breaths, but you stop him mid-sentence. 

“Shhh,” you whisper into his ear. “Listen to me, Bucky. I am so sorry that Steve betrayed you like this. He made a promise that he didn’t keep. And trust me, I know you’ve been hurt before. I know it might not mean much, but I have been betrayed before too, I’ve been hurt many times. I can speak from experience when I say that it’s painful to deal with, and it takes time, but I can also say that having someone there who genuinely cares for you helps a great deal. And for you, Bucky, only you, I can promise at least one thing. Do you know what that is?”

Bucky sniffles once more, peering up at you through long wet eyelashes and glistening eyes as he slows his breathing. “What’s that, sweetie?” he asks. His soft smile and gaze cause your eyes to well up slightly, making you realize that what you’re about to say is 100% true, and will forever be true.

“I love you, Bucky Barnes, more than you know. I will be the one genuine person for you, and only you. And I can promise, more than anything, that for as long as I’m here and then some, I will _never_ betray your trust. I’m here for you always.”

Both you and Bucky sat there in the silence, taking in the weight of what you had just told him. You laughed to yourselves while sitting on the couch, both of you smiling like idiots. Meanwhile, both you and Bucky looked like hot messes from all of the crying. Tears were still streaming down both your faces, unclear on whether they were happy tears, romantic tears, sad tears, or a mix of each. After a long pause, Bucky is the first to speak again.

“I love you so much, Y/N.” Grinning, you give Bucky a little nudge and push him down to lean on the armrest. Entangling your fingers in his beautiful and dark tousled curls, you lean down to kiss him. You love the sensation of his beard on your lips and face, giving you a sense of comfort. 

Softening into the kiss, Bucky flies his hands up to greet the back of your neck, pulling you closer to him. You breathe in his strong scent, the scent you love and know so well, drawing you even closer. 

You stay there for as long as possible, cuddling each other and giving sweet kisses until your lungs don’t allow for it anymore. Reluctantly, you pull away for air before going in for another kiss, this time rolling the both of you over to wrap your legs around Bucky’s muscular torso. Although you stay there for a while, time flies as it begins to get dark, and you and Bucky hear the door to the backyard open.

Still entwined with Bucky on the couch, you two hear footsteps in the other room, along with voices from Sam and Steve. They must have come in seeing as it was getting dark outside. “Shit, it’s Sam and Steve,” you exclaim quietly to Bucky, almost whispering.

Bucky’s smiling face almost immediately dropped, still sensitive from the events earlier today. It wasn’t long before Bucky’s eyes started tearing up again, and you could tell how much he hated it. He wanted to be strong. He knew you would be there to get him through it, but it was a big deal, and it was hurting him.

Before Sam and Steve had the chance to come into the main room and ruin the rest of you and Bucky’s day, you jumped on the opportunity to spend some more quality time with Bucky. “Come with me, Buck. Let’s get out of here at least for right now, before they find us.” 

Wiping away tears, Bucky nodded back eagerly and let you grab him by the wrist, leading you both to your room on the top floor of the compound. Your bedroom was a bit more separate from the rest of your teammates’ rooms, making for the perfect night’s escape. Shutting the door behind you, you and Bucky sighed a breath of relief and laughed, glad you were able to escape.

“Thank you, sweetie. I don’t know what I would have done if I had to talk to Steve or Sam any more today. I don’t think I would have been able to make it,” Bucky confesses, looking defeated. Giving a sad smile, you playfully knock Bucky’s rib with your elbow. “Hey, Buck, I know. You don’t have to feel sorry about that. You have every right to be upset. But please, for your sake and mine, can we keep our minds free, at least for tonight?”

Bucky chuckles a bit and suddenly picks you up, bridal style, to carry you over to your bed. Tossing you down onto the mattress, he hops up next to you and dusts tiny kisses all over your collarbone. “Heyyy!” you exclaim giddily, smiling from the ticklish sensation.

Flipping Bucky over onto his back, you kneel over him on all fours. You gaze into his eyes with a smirk while leaning over him. His bright blue eyes look back up at you, handsome as ever, his face returning the same look. 

You lean into him, giving him another kiss. He wraps his hands around the back of your head, moving his fingers through your hair, giving in to the kiss some more. He pulls you close, and nuzzling your nose into his neck, you tumble onto your sides and wrap each other up in a warm embrace.

In your arms, Bucky lets out a deep sigh, trying to let out the last of his emotions bottled up from today’s events. “I’m here for you baby, I’m here,” you whisper. His lips curve into a slight smile as he says, “thank you, Y/N. It means so much to me, more than you know.” You giggle as you pull Bucky tighter into your chest. Bucky huffs out a breath of laughter as he returns the gesture.

“Let’s cuddle here, Bucky, at least for tonight,” you tell him. “Okay, sweetie,” he says tiredly as you both close your eyes, drifting off to sleep, smiles on both your faces.


End file.
